Colin Kaepernick – Inside the 49ershttp://49ers.pressdemocrat.com
Updated news, opinions and discussion about the San Francisco 49ers and other pro football action from blogger Grant Cohn of The Press Democrat in Santa Rosa, CAFri, 09 Dec 2016 17:53:48 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6Blaine Gabbert on Colin Kaepernick’s role on the 49ers: “He’s just rehabbing right now.”http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/blaine-gabbert-colin-kaepernick-hes-just-rehabbing-right-now/
http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/blaine-gabbert-colin-kaepernick-hes-just-rehabbing-right-now/#commentsWed, 30 Dec 2015 19:58:19 +0000http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/?p=26252SANTA CLARA

Blaine Gabbert just spoke in the 49ers auditorium. Here are selected quotes.

Q: What is your plan for the offseason?

GABBERT: Just the usual routine. You definitely take a little breather time. You let your body heal, let your mind heal and kind of recuperate a little bit. But, I’m eager to get back into it. I feel like there’s something we can build on here. I’m definitely eager to be a part of it.

Q: Will you seek outside help as far as quarterback coaching and mechanics?

GABBERT: I trust our coaches here. Some people believe that you can get outside help, others don’t. I’m more of one to believe in that I trust my routine, my lifting and training regiment, the facilities that I work out at, and I do things specific to what we’re doing here. That’s about it.

Q: Do you have guys that you talk to about the mechanics throwing?

GABBERT: I think if you can throw a football and deliver it from Point A to Point B, that’s what it boils down to. Everybody has different mechanics. Everybody has a different throwing motion. At the end of the day if you can throw the ball on time and accurate, that’s what you have to do. So, every quarterback guru thinks they know how to throw the football one certain way, but I beg to differ when it comes to that. If you can deliver it accurately and on time, that’s what works for you.

Q: What has Colin Kaepernick’s role been the past couple of weeks?

GABBERT: The biggest thing is he’s just rehabbing right now. I’m going about my same routine with Dylan (Thompson) and Mac (McLeod Bethel-Thompson) and coach (Steve) Logan and the offensive staff. That’s the biggest thing that I’m worried about. I’m worried about being accountable to those guys and the teammates that are out there on Sunday.

This is the transcript of Jim Tomsula’s Monday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department.

Opening comments:

“The injury report; what we’ve got here, we’ve got some bumps and bruises, but [TE Garrett] Celek is going for an MRI. But again, we still feel like nothing is broke, that it’s what our people have categorized a high ankle sprain. And obviously with those we’ll have to look and see the severity of it and see where that’s at. So, that’s it for the injuries.”

Is that the kind of injury that potentially you might want to bump somebody up?

“Well, that’s why I’m saying it to you. I don’t know quite frankly right now. If there’s a chance that we can have Celek back in there, obviously we’re going to look at that hard. We’ll find out what he needs to get back healthy, what the time and the protocol will be and then from there we’ll let you know.”

After looking at the DT Quinton Dial hit, did you think that was a legal play?

“Listen, things happen on a football field in real time. My vantage point of the play is we came in and Dial was working to get to the strike zone, which we call a strike zone. Same way you throw a pitch, from the knees to the shoulders. And that’s where we’re aiming to tackle for the integrity and safety of the game. So, that’s what we do. And I did see him lower to get into that strike zone. But, I am not here to critique officiating.”

Obviously, TE Blake Bell probably will get a lot more work over the next few weeks. What have you seen from him and has he made progress?

“Yeah, absolutely. He’s absolutely made progress. Absolutely a guy that I’m excited about, that we’re all excited about and I think you can see it in his performance. You can see him getting better. He’s a talented guy. He’s a big guy and he’s still ascending. So, we’re excited about where he’s at and where he’s heading.”

I realize your defensive linemen can generally play all of the positions. But, we for the most part have seen NT Mike Purcell play nose guard. Had he been working more in practice at defensive tackle and I guess what led you to put him in?

“Yes, he has. Well, [DL] Arik [Armstead] was a little sore. Nothing of note or anything, but he was sore and we wanted to make sure we had him in terms of the pass rush and things, we liked his matchup this week so we wanted to make sure we had him fresh and ready to role in those areas. Obviously, Mike a good, strong body versus that run game. So, in the base downs Michael went in there. Michael did a nice job and Michael is a good player and yes Michael has worked the end positions.”

Did he play well enough to kind of merit maybe a similar role in the future?

“Yeah. Well, Michael, you’ve seen every time Michael has been up Michael plays. So, we’re looking for ways to get, I personally and we think Michael is a good football player.”

On Friday defensive coordinator Eric Mangini said that you guys would keep it the same, CB Kenneth Acker start and then CB Marcus Cromartie come in, but Cromartie didn’t get in on defense. What changed?

“Well, Acker was on it, quite frankly. He was playing well. And, we’re looking for a spot right there to get him in, but Acker was really, I felt like he was doing a nice job. In that situation there, I don’t force a hand with coaches. I didn’t force a hand right there. But, that was on our minds. That was the thought process going in and we felt like Acker was doing a nice job, had a nice feel and that’s where we went.”

I know we keep asking you this, but with two straight road games coming up, how do you get the intensity level, particularly from your defense, to travel with you guys with the same intensity?

“After our meeting this morning with the film and all those things, that was the first topic of conversation. And again, we spent some time in the open week on that. So, we’ve got to, you’re not going to change flights. You’re not going to change that you’re going on the road. So, the changes need to come from each one of us and how we have ourselves prepared to play. Again, the acknowledgement of it and mentally coming off getting off a bus on game day and maybe we need to sprint off the bus. But, that sense of urgency and attack that football game.”

Does the early start impact this week’s schedule in terms of practice times?

“All those things, you can talk about early starts and all that, that’s just the way it is and that’s the way everybody does it. So, we don’t have any excuses there. In terms of the early schedule, we’ve done that in the past here. I’ve been on staffs that we’ve done that and we end up getting guys up at 6 a.m. or 5 a.m. and practicing at the time the game will be played. We went through that and then went back and the last few years just practiced normal and played. I haven’t seen any of that make a major impact, so I don’t want to do that. We’re going to practice the way we practice and keep going.”

Regardless of some of the penalties that you may not have thought were right or wrong, how do you clean up some of those penalties? There were still a lot of them.

“Yeah, there were a lot of penalties. Well we’ve got to, a lot of the penalties we were having there, with aggressiveness there’s aggressiveness, but there’s aggressiveness within the rules. We’ve got to make sure, number one, that our body position is in the right place so that you don’t get your hands outside your body and do things like that. And, if your hand does slip up underneath a facemask, you’ve got to get it out. And that’s going to happen. I understand that’s going to happen. Offensive linemen it’s going to happen. Defensive linemen it’s going to happen. And, you’ve got to get it out of there and get it out of there quick. The biggest way for me with penalties is body position.”

This game, you could look at it, as far as the final six games, this last game, yesterday’s game was kind of your Super Bowl in a sense. You’re playing the top team in the division, they blew you out pretty good in Week 3. What do you have to do to make sure that there isn’t any kind of emotional letdown after you guys played such an emotional game yesterday that carries over to these final five games?

“Well, to me the game we played yesterday, we did not win. We need to win. But, that emotion, that intensity, that’s the way we need to play all games and then make our corrections from there with that intensity, with that emotion, with that excitement. Not playing to not make a mistake, but playing, I say with your hair down. Just play, let’s go and then correct from there. So, that’s where we’re on.”

Are there adjustments this week when you know that the guy, Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, knows you guys so well? Certainly it’s not the exact same team, but are there any things you do when there’s somebody so familiar on the other side?

“Well, obviously that’s taken into account. I’m not going to get into any game planning, but yes, I know that, we know that, very aware of that.”

With five weeks left, is there any consideration to shut down RB Carlos Hyde and just have him get that surgery on his foot?

“Again, that’s been, all of that’s been on the table since the beginning. So, again, I listen to the doctors and the medical staff on where we need to go with that and what’s the best course of action. So, right now, we’re at day-to-day with Carlos and finding out exactly what that foot’s responding to.”

How much is he in the driver’s seat on what happened with the foot? Is it up to him whether he gets surgery at this point? Has he been resisting surgery?

“Again, I don’t, when it comes to the medical conversations, I don’t have any comment nor do I have a lot of information, because again I made that clear we stay out of, coaches and medical decisions is not a good thing. So, we stay away. We keep that very separate. But, obviously when it comes to a human being and their body, they have a major say on what they’re going to do. All of you do, that’s no different here. In the way I see our medical staff do it, we have our doctors, I mean again, with Stanford you can’t say enough. But, second opinions and all those things, I know that’s all facilitated through our medical department. So, any second opinions and different things and all the information, that’s all presented to players, who are people, human beings. So, they’re obviously not told, ‘You do this.’ They obviously have a major say in what they’re doing. That’s not just Carlos, that’s in everything we do.”

I don’t want to get you in trouble with the officiating stuff, but philosophically, have you thought much about the issue of full-time officials versus part-time officials and do you have a feeling about that?

“Yeah, I mean, I don’t like speaking of things that are not in my wheelhouse. I’ve been a big advocate I think of officials and officiating and I have a unique, again in my history with the NFL Europe, that was where all the officials went and they did their training camp. I sat in the evenings with officials and ate dinner and talked about their vantage points and what they see and how they see it. I was, it was actually just a tremendous experience for 10 years to be able to get that kind of information and back and forth conversation with guys while they were working their craft and I was working mine. So, there’s officiating, offense, defense, both teams. There’s always going to be something for you to write about. There’s always going to be something great, something not good. We’re always going to have discussions on what we believe and what we don’t believe. But, to stand up here and be critical of things, I’m not going to do that.”

I’m not asking that. I’m asking if the issue of whether full-time officiating is a good idea or not versus the system that it is now?

“I don’t have enough information to tell you that. I mean, I’m not even sure what their, they work pretty hard at it, I know that. But, I don’t have an educated opinion on their contracts.”

RB Shaun Draughn has carried the ball pretty much every running snap in the last couple games. Can he continue to carry that load these last five games or would you like to work in other running backs? Do you even have that option?

“Yeah. We have wanted to work in other running backs. Again, going in every game these last few games wanting to, but Shaun’s done a really nice job. He’s sturdy and he’s running well, he’s running hard. His pass protection this past week I thought was really good. So, he’s doing everything with an every down back. But we are, it is the intention to get reps with the other guys.”

QB Blaine Gabbert has 16 third down completions, but only six have gone for first downs. Is that, I mean, obviously some of those are third-and-10, third-and-12 situations, is that OK? Would you like to see a more aggressive approach?

“Absolutely not OK. I mean, we need to get first downs on third down. So, we’ve got to do a better job there.”

Throw beyond the sticks more?

“Yeah, we need to throw beyond the sticks. We need to protect. We need the entire play. In that situation, we’ve got to do a better job there.”

Has QB Colin Kaepernick started his rehab yet here in the building?

“Yes.”

He has?

“Yes. Actually, he’s in today. He’s coming in today. Yesterday, they told me that last night because they heard the press conference. But, he’s coming in today. It’s my understand he’s in today to start his rehab.”

While most of the 49ers have nothing left to play for but professional pride, Gabbert gets to play for the 49ers’ starting-quarterback job in 2016. For him the stakes are high, and yet the pressure is low. I’ll explain.

For the first time in his NFL career, Gabbert is playing relaxed. There’s no pressure on him to be great, no pressure on him to be the face of the franchise like there was in Jacksonville. He doesn’t have to force passes downfield anymore. He can make throws that are available to him.

On 3rd and 9, Gabbert can throw a check-down pass to a running back for a five- yard gain, the team can punt and no one will criticize him for not throwing downfield. The Niners are just happy their quarterback isn’t taking another sack, or throwing another pick, or hitting another equipment guy in the coconut with an errant throw.

Gabbert looks good by not being bad. He doesn’t have to play that well — he just has to be a quarterback. Because his predecessor, Colin Kaepernick, is NOT a quarterback. He is a good athlete posing as a quarterback. Gabbert is lucky to be compared to him.

Kaepernick struggles with the basics of the quarterback position, even though he’s been in the league five years. Gabbert also has been in the league five years, and he understands coverages, protections, hot routes, sight-adjust principles — things a five-year vet should understand. Things Kaepernick doesn’t quite understand.

Kaepernick is 28 years old, and like a junior varsity player he still waits for visual confirmation a receiver is open before throwing him the ball.

Gabbert is 26, and throws where the receiver will be, not where he already is. That’s called throwing with anticipation, and that’s what a real quarterback does. Thanks to Kaepernick, Gabbert gets points for doing things a quarterback is supposed to do. Looking at Gabbert after all these years looking at Kaepernick, you say to yourself, “Oh, that’s what a quarterback looks like.”

Kaepernick made Gabbert’s audition easy. Gabbert doesn’t have to score many points or even win many games this season — he just has to be competent and not make bonehead mistakes.

And it’s in the Niners’ interest for Gabbert to play reasonably well. If he’s competent, the Niners won’t have to draft a quarterback in the first round. They may end up with a top-five pick. There may not be a quarterback worthy of such a high selection this year. If Gabbert is competent, the Niners can draft a quarterback in the second round and let him develop on the bench for a season.

If Gabbert is competent, the Niners will have one of the cheapest starting quarterbacks in the NFL in 2016. His salary-cap hit will be just $2.25 million.

If Gabbert is competent, the Niners won’t have to sign someone else to play quarterback next season. Check out the names of some of the quarterbacks who will be free agents in 2016: Matt Cassel, Matt Schaub, Matt McGloin, Matt Moore, Matt Hasselbeck — a lot of bad Matts. The Niners may figure Gabbert is better than those Matts and some of the other quarterbacks masquerading as starters in a quarterback-starved NFL.

If Gabbert is competent, the Niners will say he played well in an “adverse environment” — he has no Carlos Hyde, no Reggie Bush, no Vernon Davis, plus a suspect offensive line. How could anyone expect Gabbert to win with such a bad offense?

Gabbert would have to fall on his face to fail this audition.

He probably won’t fall on his face. After two starts this season, he already has shown he’s competent. He actually was better than competent last week against the Seahawks in Seattle. Gabbert threw for 264 yards and posted a passer rating of 98.2 – better numbers than Kaepernick ever put up against the Seahawks.

Gabbert may be improving. He’s not that old. We don’t know what his top limit is — we already know Kaepernick’s, and it’s pretty limited.

Time to find out how good Gabbert can be. It’s one thing this season is about.

Grant Cohn writes sports columns and the “Inside the 49ers” blog for The Press Democrat’s website. You can reach him at grantcohn@gmail.com.

]]>http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/stakes-high-gabbert-49ers-meaningless-games/feed/124Tyrann Mathieu: “You can see Gabbert’s maturity and the different things he does well that, let’s say, Kaepernick doesn’t do well.”http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/tyrann-mathieu-can-see-gabberts-maturity-different-things-well-lets-say-kaepernick-doesnt-well/
http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/tyrann-mathieu-can-see-gabberts-maturity-different-things-well-lets-say-kaepernick-doesnt-well/#commentsWed, 25 Nov 2015 23:31:35 +0000http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/?p=25844SANTA CLARA

Q: Does the 49ers’ offense look different now that Blaine Gabbert is running it?

MATHIEU: Yeah, it does. Not to take anything away from Kaepernick, but it seems like Gabbert has a little bit better grip on what’s going on. If he gets in a situation, he knows where the ball needs to go. He’s a hell of a passer. I think he’s underrated when you talk about how well he can throw the football. And obviously he had 40 something yards last week against the Seahawks running the ball. I think he gives them a better option going forward. It seems like the wide receivers are more involved. It looks like they’re doing alright.

Q: Do you think you’ll be able to bait Gabbert into certain throws like you were able to do with Kaepernick earlier this season?

MATHIEU: No, I don’t think so. It seems like he takes care of the football way better. If he gets in a situation where he feels pressure, he’s not just going to give the defense an opportunity to make a play. They run a lot of boots, a lot of different things with him to get him on the edge. It seems like he can run the ball pretty well from the times I’ve seen him run it. It seems like he has a pretty nice arm as well.

Q: It sounds like your team felt it had Kaepernick’s number.

MATHIEU: Well, we just knew Kaepernick’s tendencies. We knew what he liked to do. We knew which way he wanted to roll out. We knew which side of the field he liked to read to. And you don’t pick up those same things from Gabbert. He’s better in the pocket. He has a better feel for coverages. He can get to the line, see a coverage and then go to a different play. Or see a coverage and not throw the ball. You can see Gabbert’s maturity and the different things he does well that, let’s say, Kaepernick doesn’t do well.

]]>http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/tyrann-mathieu-can-see-gabberts-maturity-different-things-well-lets-say-kaepernick-doesnt-well/feed/262Jim Tomsula: “We’ve just got to keep pounding through it and get to the other side.”http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/jim-tomsula-weve-just-got-keep-pounding-get-side/
http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/jim-tomsula-weve-just-got-keep-pounding-get-side/#commentsMon, 23 Nov 2015 22:10:21 +0000http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/?p=25832This is the transcript of Jim Tomsula’s Monday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department.

Opening comments:

“Injuries, I really don’t have a lot to update you on from last night. [DL] Glenn [Dorsey] is getting an MRI now and again with [S Jaquiski] Tartt and [WR Anquan] Boldin they’re in there getting some rehab, but both of those guys I think were OK. So, questions?”

Just looking back on that game yesterday, was there a common thread that ran through the tackling problems that your defense experienced?

“Yeah, I think it was a common thread, it was almost, I got the feeling, and again watching the tape, I use the term, ‘Don’t play not to make a mistake and don’t tackle being afraid to miss the tackle.’ Be more attacking. And I felt like that’s what our problems were. We weren’t, go get ‘em.”

Why do you think that attitude was missing?

“Well, just a, big game, we were pretty excited about the game going in. We were excited all week. Guys come in, just go get ‘em. I just had the sense that we were playing not to make a mistake there and not to miss and don’t do that. Just go get ‘em.”

I know you were asked about this after the game, but on reflection with that last punt, the 4th-and-8 and three minutes left, 3:09left, do you–?

“The two that we had discussions on on the sidelines that I was contemplating was 5:40-5:45, we punted, I think we were on the 23 and it was a two score game. Going into it we’re thinking, OK we’ve got to get two touchdowns and two two-point conversions. That’s the way we’ve got to play this right now. And then, when it got to the, I think it was three minutes, or 3:09, it was right around three minutes and we had two timeouts and at the five minute we still had the three timeouts. So, we had the two timeouts and the two minute. So, my point was if we were close, if we got that thing up there in a 4th-and-short then there was going to be a decision for me. But, after we got backed up there it was 4th-and-13 I think, we’re on the 11-yard line and we’re going to punt that ball. If you go for a 4th down right there, we are going to go make it a three point, if something happens it’s a three possession game. So, we wanted to punt it, use the two timeouts, get to the two-minute drill and onside kick and try to win the game. That’s what I thought. That’s what I still think. I would have done that in that area of the field.”

So, no regrets?

“No. Not for me, no.”

Obviously, part of that philosophy is you’ve got to stop them. The Seahawks had 500 yards and 28 first downs. What led you to believe that you would get the ball back?

“Well, that was what we needed to do to win that game. Just what I felt.”

Do you care how much you lose by?

“Oh god no.”

So, you don’t care if you lose by 23 or–?

“No, you win or you lose. No, that never, absolutely not.”

I think it seems unusual for a team down two scores to punt with three minutes left. Do you understand why there continue to be questions about it?

“Yeah, but my point was, I’m forgetting, it’s slipping my mind right now, we were 4th and what? It was 4th-and-8 on the 11-yard line. So, you have to throw. If it’s 4th-and-2, 4th-and-1, we’ve got a little something there. But, we’re 4th-and-8 on the 11 and defensively you’re going to pin your ears back, here we come. You’re going to be under duress and it’s a long conversion. So, if that doesn’t happen right there now you’ve got a three score game. There is no time. That’s quite frankly the way I see it.”

I guess, the issue is down 16 with three minutes left, you’re not in a good situation anyway.

“No, you’re not. Either way you’re not in a good situation. But, my point was they put another score on there, now we’ve got a three-score game. Now we’ve got to get the ball back three times.”

How do you teach a team to win? How do you give them that winning attitude?

“Well, I think that a lot of it is in your preparation. A lot of it is in your mindset. I think we have people here that have that about them, I do. And I know that we have that here. The record doesn’t do us any justice in terms of, that’s who you are in this league. So, but we’ve got to keep pushing on. There were positives in the game. Offensively, I saw a lot of positives. Special teams, I saw a lot of positives. Defensively, we were all, none of us were happy with the way we played and the way we went about it. And offensively, it’s not like we broke records, but you see things that we’re doing there that were good, things you can build on. That’s very good. Defensively, we’ve got it there. We’ve got to get, we’ve got people and we’ve got to pull together and get that thing sewed up. Run fits and tackling.”

It’s unusual to hear a coach in the NFL say guys were kind of tentative or, you didn’t say tentative, but kind of scared to miss a tackle, afraid to make a mistake.

“Yeah well, just go get it, you know what I mean? Don’t read your way through it. Attack.”

But, why do you think that is? I mean, they weren’t aggressive. It seems unusual in the NFL.

“Yeah. I mean, it was, when you watch the film, we were working to get our fit. It was almost like looking to see the play and then go get it. You’ve got to go, just go.”

How do you correct that? How do you correct that from now until this Sunday?

“Well, it showed up here. Two weeks ago I would have told you it was very good. So, we’ve just got to get it back on track. We’ve got to get back.”

What do you do to keep the morale up? You’ve had injuries, outside noise. What do you say to the guys?

“Well, you believe in the people that you have. That locker room there and the guys that are in it, there’s good, determined, good football players in there. We’ve just got to keep pounding through it and get to the other side.”

Were you surprised with the way things went down over the weekend with QB Colin Kaepernick? I mean, he was listed as probable Friday and then a day later he’s out for the season.

“Yeah well, I mean obviously that’s, he was checked with, they did the MRI and came back and it’s my interpretation that he had a second opinion and that was the results that came up and the action that was taken.”

Did you know he was injured before, the duration of the time?

“No, ma’am. No. I knew that, it was Monday he showed up it was on the injury report that his shoulder was sore and they wanted to get it checked. I knew that they had it checked, but he was in practice and practicing and all that. So, no I didn’t.”

So, Monday’s the first time you learned of it, after the bye week when you guys came back?

“Yeah. That’s the first time that showed up. Obviously, he’s got something there that he’s got to get fixed.”

So, do you have quarterbacks scheduled to come in today or tomorrow for workouts?

“Yeah.”

Who? How many?

“I won’t get into who, but two [one]. There’s two [one] today.”

Are they veteran guys?

“Yes.”

They’re having workouts today?

“Yeah, we’ve got some workouts today.”

Do you plan on keeping three quarterbacks on your 53-man roster?

“Yeah, we’re looking to add another quarterback here whether it be on the 53 or the practice squad.”

]]>http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/jim-tomsula-weve-just-got-keep-pounding-get-side/feed/193Colin Kaepernick done for the season with left-shoulder injuryhttp://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/colin-kaepernick-done-season-left-shoulder-injury/
http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/colin-kaepernick-done-season-left-shoulder-injury/#commentsSat, 21 Nov 2015 19:16:03 +0000http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/?p=25783The San Francisco 49ers just announced they’ve placed quarterback Colin Kaepernick on season-ending Injured Reserve, and have promoted quarterback Dylan Thompson from the practice squad to the active roster.

Kaepernick apparently injured his non-throwing shoulder Week 4 against the Green Bay Packers, although the injury didn’t show up on the 49ers’ practice report until this Friday. Strange.

Kaepernick almost certainly won’t play another game for the 49ers–they probably will trade Kaepernick for a draft pick during the offseason.

Goodbye, Colin. We hardly knew you.

]]>http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/colin-kaepernick-done-season-left-shoulder-injury/feed/243Kaepernick: “I’m not out of breath, so I don’t understand that reference.”http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/kaepernick-im-breath-dont-understand-reference/
http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/kaepernick-im-breath-dont-understand-reference/#commentsFri, 06 Nov 2015 23:34:45 +0000http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/?p=25668SANTA CLARA

Colin Kaepernick spoke at his locker Friday afternoon for the first time since getting benched. Here’s a transcript.

Q: What was the conversation like on Monday when you found out your coach had made a decision (to bench you)?

KAEPERNICK: They told me they were going to sit me, and that was about the extent of the conversation.

Q: Did you ask why, or were there any reasons given?

KAEPERNICK: That decision is out of my control and I left it at that. I respect their authority.

Q: Jim Tomsula said on Wednesday he’s benching you to give you an opportunity to breath, take a step back and refocus. Do you think you need that opportunity?

KAEPERNICK: I’m not out of breath, so I don’t understand that reference.

Q: I think he meant mentally, just giving you a break from all the pressure that has been building this year. Do you feel that was building inside of you, too?

KAEPERNICK: No, I don’t believe in pressure. Pressure is not being prepared for what you want to do. To me, I’ve played full seasons. I’ve played full seasons and been successful. It’s something that mentally I’ve been through before. I’m not incapable of going through things.

Q: Is it hard for you to go out there knowing you’re not the starter?

KAEPERNICK: No. To me, that’s selfish, to put that on myself and take away from my teammates and take away from Blaine. I’ll support my teammates and I’ll support Blaine in everything they do because they’ve been good to me.

Q: A year and a half ago, you had a press conference where you talked about signing a team-friendly deal to try to get some of your other teammates signed. Do you feel like the team reciprocated, held up their end of the bargain?

KAEPERNICK: That’s not something for me to say. I just try to do my part to try to help this organization, help this team and do everything I can to try to help us be successful.

Q: Geep Chryst was saying yesterday that he simply doesn’t think you have the same support around you that you did in 2012. What’s your take on that? Do you feel like this is as good of a team as the Super Bowl squad?

KAEPERNICK: We have a very different team than we did then. We had a lot of veterans, a lot of very experienced players who had been through a lot of different things and had been through a lot of struggles. So, when they stepped on the field, it was with a passion that they didn’t want to go back to where they were at before. And that’s something that we haven’t faced those struggles as a team until now. We have a lot of young players.

Q: You’re the first person that has gotten benched of poor performance. Do you feel like you’re being scapegoated?

KAEPERNICK: I don’t pass judgment on that. I do everything I can to try to help this team win, try to support my teammates and try to go out and help us get a “W” on Sunday.

Q: When you look back at the last few games, were instances where you thought you could have played better?

KAEPERNICK: Yeah, there’s always times you think you can play better. Even in wins, there are things you can do better. I haven’t seen a quarterback play a perfect game yet. I’m very critical of myself. I’m very critical of what I feel I can do to try to help this team.

Q: In the backup role, are you spending more time watching film of yourself or preparing for the Falcons?

KAEPERNICK: No, I’m still game planning for Atlanta. I’m still mentally focused and locked in.

Q: Geep said quite directly yesterday, he thought when you came in in 2012 you had the mentality of, “OK, I’m the new guy – I’m going to go make some plays.” Whereas he thought this year you were trying to avoid mistakes. Would you agree with his assessment?

KAEPERNICK: No, I don’t believe that’s accurate. Every time I step on the field, I step on the field to make plays. So, that’s just a matter of opinion.